All India

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 59, Issue 121, 24 June 1930, Page 9

All India

AS A FEDERAL STATE Wliat The Commission Recommends THE SECOND PORTION ... (British Ofiicial Wircless.) (Beceivod This Bay 3 p.m.) RUGBY, June 23. The second volume of the Indian Statutorv Cpmmission's report, issued for publication on June 24, contains recommendations for a new constitutional selieme in India. In all their main jiroposals the commissioners are unanimous. and tlie recommendations provide' for an elaborate and detaiied scheme covering the wliole field of the vast constitutionai .problem of India,...." . The central feature of' the scheme is Ihe' re-orgauisation of the constitution of British India' on a federal basis and in such a way tliat individual Indian States, or groups of States, niay enter when they wisli. Tlie existmg provinces, excluding Burma, should be the basis of the federal structure. They should be given the maximum measure of autonomy. Thi s fcommiss ion has not found it possible 'to make unanimous recommendationon the desfrahility or otherwise cf establishment of second ehambers in tlie provinces: . PRIWC1PLES LAID DOWN. Part one of the report is deyoted to the statement of general principles of proposals. The first prineiple laid dowu is • that the new constitubion should, as far as possible, , colitain within itself provision "for its own development. The Goyernment of India Act provided for inquiry upon .tlie workiiig of the reformed Constitution after teu years, but the conimission says tliat this metliod is quite foreign to the spirit of constitutional developlhent as understood and applied elsewliere in the Empire. Those who bave to work under a temporary constitution tend inevitablv to fix tlieir minds on the future, instead of tlie present. Tlie inelasticity of the limited and temporary. scheme has been a great disadvantage in so large a country as India, where our provinee differs so ;.much from anotlier provinee. GOVERNING FACTORS. "While we tliinlc it is possible in provincial spbere to make very full provision in the constitution for the growtli and development without the'necessity of seeking .new powers from the British Parliament, and wllile- we desire to give scojje for tliis same prineiple i/t growtli at tlie centre, there are circiimsta.iices in the latter case_ which limit the exteiit to wliich this cah be done n6w". ' The iiltimate form of a central Goveniment depends on the number of factors which cannot ' he fiilly known at present. Cpnsideration -of what should be the ultimate goal of the British policy iu India, in pursuance of the declara'.tiom of 2Qfcli August, 1917, leads the 'commission to lav down a second .prineiple,;* that; any constitutional changes noiv recommended for British India must liave regard to ' future developmbnt, wlieh India, as a whole and not merely as a ' British India, will take lier place among 'the constituent States of Commonwealth of Nations, .united under the crown. There are practical as well as theoretical r-casons for so plaxming the structure of tlie Indian Govern ment tliat ihe trausition to a truly all-Indian policy^ can he made as soon as tlie time is ripe. OUTSTANDI NG EXAMPLE. The commissioners pointed out that ib is India, not British India, which is a member of the League of Nations, and after "describing the geographical, •political and economic unity of India, they say that dn • olose examination it will be found -tliat there are few subjeets wliich should fonn a. - field of activity of the Central Government m India which do not, in fact, interest also the Indian States. An outstanding example ' is defence. Ofher illustrations are "tariffs and. communications and social matters, such as pyeventioii of tlie spread of epidemics. Moreover, the unity imposed upon India by the external forces of Great Britain is to-day reinforced by_ tlie yncreasing sense of Indian nation ality. It has only been tlie existeuce of British rule tliat has rendered such 'development possible. The Government lias been.growing steadily for the last 50 years and with .a greatly accelerated pace im.the last decado. "Whatever may he its shortcomings, and liowever distasteful some of its liianifestations, it appears to he the once force in Indian society _ to-day tliat may perhaps contain within itself power to -overcome the deep and dangerous eleavages tliat threaten its peace but it is absolutely clear tliat the Indian States cannot be compelled to epme into any closer reiationship witli British India. ' PROUD OF THEIR RIGHTS. "Indian rulers are naturally proud of their historic position, and their rights have been repeatedly 'acknowledged. At the same time they recogliise more and more the lieed for adjusting tlieir future relsftionship to ihe rest of India. "Tlie Commissioners believe . that they will only be . ready to Come into the larger wliole ' wljen tliey can see tliat their .'rights .and'- positinn w-ill. be safeguarded. If the prineiple they have laid down is-' yalid it-' iuevitably 'follows ' that the ultimate constitution -o'fliidia must be federal. for; it is only in "a* federal. 'constitution^ that- tlie units,. diixering so widelv in the constitution as:r provinces and the States, can be brought togetlier. While retaining tlie national autonomy it must he possible to visualise tlie future of federation in India as hringing into relatioiiship two separate federations— one comprised of elements which make up British India and the other of India States. "The evidence from rulers of Indian States has not yet been received, however, and this is recognised as one of the matters whi'ch may be discussed when the proposed conference takes place. "Whatever may he the ultimate decision, the Commission . believes . that the reorganisatiba of British India on .a federal basis will prepare the wa.y for it!. Apart altogether from any ■ such iquestion there are • ver.y . st-rong reasons for the _reeonstruction .of tlie Indian Constitiitioii bn a" .federal basis, and tbe commissioners state tbat it is onl.y 'in' ai federal ' structure jtkat €ufflcieiit- elastieity-' can • be : obtaified for -a uinon of the elements of diverse internal constitutions and of communities at very different stages of development and culture." NOT UNDER REFORMS, By reason of tlie geographical situation of their etLnolqgical composition . certain areas in India have not beqn i'-'

brought, under Sir Montagu Chelmsford's reforms. As to the units of the federation in British India the commissioners do not regard the provinces as in anv way ideal areas for self-Governnient and they recommend reviewmg and resettling the boundaries as early as possible, but wliile tbe provinces exist they form a basis on which the federal structure must be built. Besides Governors' provinces there are those area-s to which tlie reforms " have not yet been allowed and tbese will find tlieir place in the federation. Th" commissioners. however, think that- Burma, which is, to-day an mtegral part of British India, should he detinitely excluded from the new, policy. Its inclusion in India l-s n historical accident and when an endeavour is being made to lay down the broad lines of advance towards an ultimate goal, tiit- opportunity should be taken -to break the union, which does not rest oa comnion interests. DEVELOPMENT SCHEME. Tlie development scheme recommended by tbe coniju'i ssioners ainis at giving the maxiilrfmi of the provincial autonomy consistent with tlie common interest of India as a whole. This means tlie abolition of tlie dyarcliyj lor it was of tbe esse_n.ee of this systeni tliat, wliile certain departments were transferred to tlie control of tbe Ministers, tbe reserved side of adininistration was still carried , on under the superintendence, direction, and control of tlie Central Government. Each provinee should be as far as possible mistress in her own liouse. Thus an independent life will be given to tlie provinces whicb will form tbe -nucleus of a new federal structure. It is proposed that in future tbe progress' of these great areas , should be entrusted to a unitary Gov- , ernment responsible to tlie legislatures elected on tlie extended franclu'se. , , Tlie scope of tlie suggested clianges is explainecl in part two of tbe report. Larger legislative councils, with froin 200 "to 250 members in tlie more important provinces, are proposed in tbe absence of a Moslem-Hindu solution. Tlie continuance of the separate conimunal .eleetorates is assumed by some. WOMEN INCLUDED. Tlie reservation of seats for the depressed classes is recommended. This part of tlie report discusses tlie metliods for faeilitating the inclusion of women in the Provincial Councils and of ensuring that tlie representation of great landowners shall be as great as that now guaranteed to them and the proposed machinery. wliereby provincial. legislatures are under proper safeguards, should have power to inodify their exact structure. The franchise plan involves an mereasing number of voters from the existing 2.8 per cent. of tlie population to 10 per cent.. which would represent 20 per cent. of the adult population. The commissioners also desire to increase tlie present ratio of women to men voters. Within the general plan there will he scope for vanation according to tho provincial neecls aiici circumstances,, and the comniissioneis emphasise that the change mvolvecl )s very great and far-reachiug. , It has been necessary to combine with tlie new plan in the provincial sphere. I he restriction and the qualifications under which the full force of majority rule is limited hy the power of mtervention is vested in the Government for such purposes as the protection of minorities and the preservation of order. In so intervening the Governor will. be_act"ing linder the siiperintendence of the Governor-Genei'al, -for it is. on the strength of the central admimstratioii that the peace and safety of India will , uftimately depend. NOT LIKELY TO BE A MODEL. The commissioners do not think, however, that the Uriti sh Pailiamentary system, with an executive representing a single party, and depending from day to day on the vote or the majority of directly-elected representatives, is -likely to b© a model, according to which the responsible Government at the centre for India, v'lll be evolved, What is needed is a central organ which can at once take np the work of British India so far as this does not -devolve on the provinces but whieli at the same time is capabl© ot expansion into a body representative of all Lidia. ■ In a wider sense, the only . means wliich are practicable in secunng the end of the federation involy© a substantial cliange in tho. present constitution of oautral legislatiu'e. . The report makes tlie followmg suggestions : — A federal assembly with a life of four years ; Council of State to contirrue ; Governor-G-eneral to contiuue, the .commander-in-chief to continue a iiicnit)ex' of tho Bntisli Parlia-. ment ; a strong army must be niaintained and the northern gateway held and retention of British Army omcers. ______